Author
Topic: Using sheep fleece to repair paths (Read 512 times)

I have mentioned before that unwanted or cotted fleece can be used to line potholes, before putting sharp stones on top. Now they are trialing the method in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh, where paths are eroded quickly by the heavy footfall:

From BeeB News: <<< An ancient technique using sheep's wool to fix paths has been trialled (sic) in the Pentland Hills.The special craft was used on an eroded section of Kirk Burn Path near Glencourse (sic) Reservoir.Sheep fleeces were folded and rolled to create a "floating path" that was then layered with stones. The wool stops the stones from sinking into the mud. >>>The report goes on to show pictures of before, during and after the work was done - it doesn't look very impressive and is only a short stretch of path, as they were donated only 'a few' fleeces by a local farmer, so it will be interesting to see how it works in the public eye!

I've seen pictures of this process, and something is telling me that maybe the National Trust in the Lake District did this? I wonder how that's getting on, it's been a few years.I'll see if I can find what I saw...

Thanks for those links. I think in the Pentlands they got the idea from N.Ireland, so it does seem to be being used successfully around the place. It's interesting that in boggy areas the fleece never rots. For potholes in a driveway for example, I think the fleece would gradually rot.I love the fact that in Cumbria they have used this method on quite long stretches of path, and that they have used Herdwick fleece, wonderfully tough, local and free! The Pentlands section looks to be about 4 feet long. Still, I suppose it's a first trial here.